Cap selecting and feeding means



Feb. 23, H DREW CAP SELECTING AND FEEDING MEANS Filed July 30, 1951 4Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORV v arry ADrew ATT RNEY Feb. 23, 1954 H. A. DREWCAP SELECTING AND FEEDING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1951INVENTOR HarryA Drew Feb. 23, 1954 H. A. DREW CAP SELECTING AND FEEDINGMEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 30, 1951 INVENTOR Harry A Dre w ATTOZNEY Feb. 23, 1954 DREW 2,679,077

CAP SELECTING AND FEEDING MEANS Filed July 50, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4"II-u\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ INVENTOR Harry A Drew Patented Feb. 23,1954 CAP SELECTING AND FEEDING MEANS Harry A. Drew, West New York, N. Jassignor to Victor Industries Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application July 30, 1951, Serial No. 239,355

(Cl. 209-'F2) 15 Claims. 1

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding tubular caps closed atone end and particularly to the means for delivering such caps forcollapsible tubes in predetermined positions to a capping station.

The present invention contemplates the provision of agitating andselecting means whereby a sufiicient quantity of tubular caps droppedheterogeneously into a hopper are turned into a required position aswith the closed end thereof at the rear, and successively fed at regularintervals without interruption toward other mechanism for performingother operations such as mounting the respective caps on collapsibletubes at relatively high speed.

The invention further contemplates the provision of dependable andrapidly acting means for engaging the successive caps and delivering acap to a straight chute if the cap is in its required position ordelivering it to a reversing or twisted chute if the cap is in areversed position.

The invention further contemplates the pro.- vision of simple capagitating means entering the cap hopper and operated by the revolublecap selecting and forwarding mechanism.

Thevarious objects of the invention will be clear from the descriptionwhich follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a rearelevational view with some parts broken away, of the hopper and the capselecting and advancing means.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view and horizontal sectional view taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2, the hopper being omitted, of the chute support.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of Fig. 3 partly broken away to showthe chutes.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the support for the chutes takenon the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view partly in section of the cams controllingthe point of discharge of the caps.

Fig. 7 is a rear elevational view of the recessed cap-selecting wheelshowing two of the selecting arms, the remainder being omitted forclarity.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the selecting wheel, theselecting arm being shown in dash-dot lines in the position assumedthereby when the cap is in the required position in the recess.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the cam controlling the discharge of thecap into the reversing chute.

Fig. 10 is a similar view of the cam controlling the discharge of thecap into the straight chute.

In that embodiment of the invention illustrated, the shaft 12 foroperating the mechanism is supported (Fig. 2) in suitable bearingsarranged in the cross members l3, l4 carried by the upright spaced anglemembers 15 and I6. Said shaft is intermittently rotated as by means ofthe chain ii passing around the sprocket Wheel 18 on the shaft, thechain being intermittently driven in any suitable manner. Near its frontend, the shaft it carries the selecting wheel l9 provided with aplurality of inwardly extending cap-receiving recesses 20 in itsperiphery. The front plate 2! suitably secured to the shaft closes oifthe front sides of the recesses to retain the caps therein againstfalling out sideways after the caps have been dropped into the recessesfrom the hopper 22. v

For pivotally supporting a selecting arm 23 in a radial position acrosseach recess, each of a series of radial plates as 24 (Figs. 7 and 8) issecured at its front edge to the rear face of the Wheel [9 and is fittedinto a slot 25 in the inner end portion of the oscillatory arm 23. Theinner edges of the plates are fixedly secured together by the ring 26 onthe shaft l2, while a suitable pivot pin 21 passes through the inner endof the arm and through the corresponding plate 24, whereby the arm mayoscillate on the relatively fixed plate as a guide between the full lineand dash-dot line positions-thereof shown in Fig. 8. A spring holdingpin 28 through the arm crosses the slot 25 and holds the rear end of thespring 29 inserted into the slot around the pin, said spring passingthrough a. suitable hole 30 in the wheel and normally pulling the armtoward the wheel, the front ends of the springs for the various armsbeing secured together in circumferential spaced relation by the wireretaining ring 3!. As best seen in Fig. 8, each of the selecting armscarries near its outer end part, a cap-engaging pin 32 in position toenter the recess 20 at about the center thereof, or if a cap is in therecess to enter the recess or threaded interior of the cap 33 providedthe cap is in a reversed position, that it, with its open end in frontof the pin. Should the cap be in the required position with the closedend at the rear, the pin engages the closed end as will be explained inmore detail hereinafter in connection with the explanation of thecontrol cams 34 and 35 and the by-passing of the straight delivery chute36 by the reversed caps into the reversing delivery chute 31.

The means for insuring the supply of a cap to a suflicient number ofconsecutive recesses to insure an adequate supply of caps at thedelivery point such as a capping station as the wheel l9 rotates, willnow be described. Said means included the hopper 22 for caps, the lowerend of the hopper communicating with the relatively short upper chutes38, 39 and. 40 which conduct the caps to the selecting wheel. The hopperis yieldingly and removably secured to the fixed chute support 4! as bysetting the lowermost edge parts thereof into the respective parts ofthe grooves 42 in the top surface of the support and maintaining theedges in the grooves by suitable spring latches. The chute supportreceives the upper part 48 of a leg of each of the angle members l6 andis secured thereto as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As best seen in Fig. 1,the latch handle 43 at the upper part of the hopper is provided with anupper edge or shoulder M urged by the spring 45 into engagement with thefixed cross bar 35 secured to the angle members 41. Similarly, as seenin Fig. 2, the lower part of the hopper is held by similar latchesengaging the under side of the cross member of the chute support 41.

Extending from the hopper through and to a point below said support arethe cap shutes 33, 35 and All, each of which communicates with adifferent recess 20 of the selecting wheel when the wheel is at restwhereby caps dropping out of the hopper fall into one of the chutes andthence into 'arecess.

Means are provided for agitating the caps in the chute entrances toprevent jamming of the caps therein. As best seen in Figs. 1 and 4, saidextending downwardly from its front edge and having a cam notch 58therein, being also provided with a rear plate upstanding from its rearedge. The rear plate 55 reciprocates in the space between the frontfaces of the chutes and the U-shaped guide member 51 secured to thechute support as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Secured to the front plate 55and shaped to fit and to reinforce the cam notch 55 is the-cam plate 58which is engaged successively by the circumferentially spaced camrollers 59 carried by the selectorwheel and alternately raising the rodholder 5-2 and rods 58 and permitting them to drop under their ownweight a number of times oneach revolution of the wheel I9, thereby tokeep the caps at the bottom of the hopper in motion and to insurefeeding of a cap into each chute.

Since the lateral dimensions or thicknesses of the chutes 38, 39' and40' are about the same'and the same as that of the cap 33, the hollowopen end of the tubular cap may become arranged at the front of therecess 20 or at the rear thereof, it

being required that it be at the front for the purpose of screwing'thecap automatically on to a collapsible tube by suitable means such as themechanism for capping collapsible tubes disclosed in my copendingapplication, Serial Number 228,829 filed May 29, 1-951, and to whichreference is hereby made for a fuller disclosure of the I reversingchute 37 and ofthe means for advancing the cap from the chutes 36 and3?.

The

selecting arms 23 are therefore designed in connection with the controlcams 34 and 35 to cause a cap which is in the required position with itsclosed end at the rear, to drop into the so-called straight chute 35 andone which is in the reversed position shown in Fig. 8 to by-pass thestraight chute and to drop into the reversing chute 3'! which is twistedand consequently reverses the position of the cap as it dropstherethrough. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6 both cams 34 and 35 are fixed tothe rear face of the rear sheet 60 which is secured to the angle memberl6 and which as shown covers the rear sides of all of the recesses 20except two and also partly covers the adjacent recesses in advance ofand succeeding the uncovered recesses, said sheet having a suitablecentral opening therein for that purpose. The cam 34 has an inner edgegroove Bl therein and a rearwardly and downwardly inclined cam surface52 as is viewed in Fig. 1, the groove for the purpose of by-passing thechute 36 with a cap in reversed position and the latter for controllingrelease of the cap if it is in its required position.

In operation, the selecting wheel rotates in a counter-clockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the pins 32 of the selecting armsride on the rear face of the cover sheet 60 for the greater part of therevolution of the Wheel. However, as an arm 23 passes the chute 38, thepin 32 thereof drops'off the inwardly projecting edge 53 of theoverhanging part of the cover sheet which projects into the greater partof the edge portion of the sheet opening. The spring 29 urges the pin 32into the recess adjacent thereto. If the closed end of the cap is at therear, as is required, the front end of the pin then drops onto theclosed end surface of the cap in the recess and the arm 23 remains in aninclined position relatively to the rear surface of the wheel as shownby the dash-dot lines of Fig. 8, while the pin presses the cap againstthe front plate 2! and holds it in its recess.- As the wheel continuesitsrotation, the outer end of the arm 23 rides along the inclinedsurface 62 of the cam 34, thereby removing the pin from and freeing thecap, which then drops by gravity out of its recess and into the straightchute 36 while the wheel is at rest with a recess at the entrance tosaid chute. As the wheel makes its next movement, the end of the arm 23rides along the rear face of the rearwardly yieldable by-pass clip 64,(Fig. 6) the free end 65 of which normally rests on the inclined camsurface 56 of the second control cam 35. From the clip 6d, the end ofthe arm rides on to the rearmost face 5'! of the cam 35 into a-p'ositionwherein the front endof its pin 32' is just behind the cover sheet 60,whereby on the next movement of the wheel I9, as the arm end moves offthe cam 35, its pin moves on to the rear face of the inwardly extendingpart 58 of the cover sheet til past the shoulder 69 and remains on saidpart 58 until it passes the shoulder 63- of said sheet on the nextrevolution of the wheel.

Should the cap be in areversed positioninits recess 28 as ifl Fig. 8withits open end arranged at the rear, the pin 32 of the arm passing theshoulder 53 moves under the action of its spring 29 into the threadedinterior of the cap to assume th full line position thereof'shown inFig. 8 in which the arm is substantially parallel to the cover sheet 60.As the end of the arm 23 moves with the-wheel toward the chute- 33, itenters the groove 61 of the-cam 31, the pin preventingthe cap fromfalling out of its recess and thereby sypassing the chute 36. On thenext movement of thewheel, the end of the cap-holding arm 23 rides on tothe cam surface 66 of the cam 35 and moves rearwardly enough to withdrawthe pin completely from the cap. When the cap reaches the-entrance tothe reversing chute, the end of its arm 23 is on the rearmost surface 51of said cam 35 having snapped past and reaching a position above theyielding free end 65 of the clip 64. The thus freed cap drops out of itsrecess into the. reversing chute 3'! and is turned around by said chuteinto the same relative position as the caps falling through the chute36. On the next movement of the wheel, the pin 32 moves on to the rearface of the cover sheet 60, remaining on the part 68 thereof for a timeas already explained.

It will be seen that I have provided simple and dependablemeans foragitating and delivering caps to the cap-feeding chutes, that said meansis effective to feed caps in one position into one chute and those in areversed position to a reversing chute at a difierent point, that byreason of the provision of a wheel with a plurality of recesses thereinand a plurality of chutes, the feed chutes are easily maintained fullenough to permit continuous further operation without danger of aninsufiicient supply of caps and that the mechanism is well adapted toperform its intended functions.

While a certain specific embodiment of the invention has herein beenshown and described, various obvious changes may be mad therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character described, a rotatable recessed memberprovided with capreceiving recesses, pins rotatable with said member andeach urged to enter a recess adjacent thereto, a fixed plate having ahole therein in part of one diameter and in part of a larger diameter toprovide an inwardly extending fiange on the inner'periphery thereof, theflange engaging and normally maintaining the pins out of the recessesand permitting a pin to engage the cap inserted into a recess when themember reaches a predetermined position relatively to said means, andmeans to remove a pin from the cap at either one of two difierent pointsdependent on the position of the cap in the recess.

2. In mechanism of the character described, an upright rotatable wheelhaving marginal capreceiving recesses therein, a spring-pulled armacross each recess and pivoted at the inner end thereof to the wheel, acap-engaging pin at the outer end part of each arm and a relativelyfixed plate covering the rear parts of all but two of the recesses, saidplate having an opening therein exposing said two recesses and parts ofthe recesses adjacent thereto, said plate being engaged by the pins tomaintain the pins out of the recesses until a pin reaches th opening onthe rotation of the wheel.

3. The mechanism of claim 2, means at the lower part of the wheel toremove the pin from a cap in an exposed recess to release the cap fordischarge by gravity at one point when the cap is in a predeterminedposition in the exposed recess, and means to remove the pin from a caparranged in reversed position in a recess succeeding the exposed recessthereby to release the reversed cap by gravity at a diiferent point.

4. In mechanism of the character described, an upright rotatable wheelhaving cap-receiving recesses therein, means for intermittently rotatingthe wheel about 'ahorizontal axis, laterally movable pins carried by thewheel and each having one position when engaging a cap in a requiredposition in the recess, each of said pins having a different positionwhen engaging a cap in a reversed position in the recess, a first meansmoving the pin and releasing at one point for dis charge by gravitythose caps which'are in the required position and by-passing those capsin the reversed position, a second means moving the pins and releasingat a different point for discharge by gravity those caps not released bythe-first means, and means maintaining the pins out of the recessesafter the pins have passed the second means and for part of eachrotation of the wheel to permit caps to enter the recesses withoutengaging the pins.

5. The mechanism of claim 4,the first and second pin-moving meanscomprising arms on the wheel and carrying the respective pins and fixedcams in thepath of the outer ends of the arms and adjacent each other.

6. In mechanism of the character described, an upright intermittentlyrotating selecting wheel provided with a plurality of peripheralrecesses each adapted to receive a tubular cap having a closed end andan open end, the cap'entering the recess either in a first positionwherein the closed end is at the rear or in a second position whereinthe closed end is at the front, means for intermittently rotating theWheel, a pin'for each recess arranged to enter and to leave the adjacentrecess therefor, arms carried by the wheel and each carrying one of thepins,a first fixed control cam in the path of the pins andadjacent thelower part of the wheel to remove a pin from contact with a cap in thefirst position thereby to release the cap for discharge by gravity fromits recess, a second control cam in the path of the pins and adjacentthe first cam to remove the pin' from contact with a cap in the secondposition to release the cap not released bythe first cam, and fixedmeans engaging selected pins during a selected part of a rotation of thewheel and maintaining the pins out of the corresponding recessestherefor, said means permitting the pins to en gage caps entering theremaining recesses.

7. The mechanism of claim 6, the first cam having a groove therethroughfor the free reception and passage of the end of the arm when the pin ofthe arm is in the open end of a cap thereby to by-pass the release pointfor caps in the first position.

8. The mechanism of claim '7, the second cam having a rearwardlyinclined cam surface engaging the end of the arm passing through thegroove of the first cam to move said end away from the wheel and awayfrom a cap engaged thereby.

9. The mechanism of claim 6, a radial plate for each arm on the rearface of the wheel each arm being pivoted at the inner end thereof to thewheel, and a spring for each arm urging the outer end of the arm towardthe wheel.

10. The mechanism of claim 6, a cap hopper. substantially upright chutesleading from the hopper to selected recesses of the wheel when the wheelis at rest, a fixed upright relatively straight discharge chute adjacentthe first cam and arranged to receive the cap in the first position anda fixed upright twisted discharge chute adjacent the second cam andarranged to receiv the cap in the second position.

11. The mechanism of claim 10, agitating rods between the chutes andadapted to enter the aerate? 7 hopper, an agitating cam fixed tothe'rods and spaced frollersonthe wheel engaging and reciprocatingtheag'itating cam a numberrof times on .each' rotation of the'wheel.

12; In mechanism of the character described, an upright intermittentlyrotatabl cap-advancing-wheel having. spaced cap-receiving recessesintheedge thereof and passing therethrough ca cap-retaining plate fixedto the wheel and closing the-front-sides or the recesses, a relativelyfixed rear plate 1 having an opening therein exposing the rear sides ofa number of consecutive recesses, the'rear sides of the remainingrecesses beingsub stantially covered by therear plate, spring-pulledarms-canted by and radially. of the wheel, there zbeing an arm for eachrecess, apin at the end part of each arm riding on the rear face of therear plated during the major part of arevolution of: the wheel andengaging a cap in anexposed recess when at the, opening of the rearplate, A

means at the lower part of the wheel for removing a pin from a caparranged in ,a required position in the recess to discharge by gravitythe cap at one point and means adjacent the first mentioned means forremoving the pin from a cap reversed relatively to the required positionand for discharging the reversed cap by gravity at a diiferent point.

v13. The mechanism of claim 12, a hopper, cap agitating means enteringth hopper and means for-reciprocating the agitating means including apluralityof spaced cam. rollers on the wheel and acamreciproca-tedbodily by the rollers a numberof times on each rotation of the wheel.

'14. In -mechanism for delivering tubular caps, eachhaving- -aclosedend; into a required position withtheeclosedend at the rear, a caphoppen'an upright. intermittently .revoluble selecting wheelprovided-with a plurality of peripheral recesses each adapted to receivea cap, means intermite tently rotating the wheel about a substantiallyhorizontal 'axis, a {plurality of upright cap chutes leading from thehopper to a cor-responding number of d-ifierentrecesses in the wheelwhen the wheel is at rest and delivering caps falling by gravity throughthe chutes into the various re cesses, upright cap-agitating rodsreciprocating between :thechutes and adapted to enter the hopper, meansactuated by the wheel for reciprocat- -ing;the.=rods. a radialspring-pulled selecting arm 'ior-eachreces's, each-of the armshavingalongstudinal slot in the innerendthereoiriaradial plate for each arm onthe rear f-ace of the'wheel and entering the slot of the correspondingarm, a pivot on each plate for theaarm, apin near the "outer-end of eacharm arranged to enter the ad :jacent recess and to maintain a captherein dure ing part of th revolution of the wheel, a first control camin the'path of the pin adjacent the lower part'of the Wheel andadaptedto engage and .to raise the outer part of thearm to remove thepin from the cap when the pin rests oathe closed ends-of the capthere-bytorelease the cap and to; permit discharge of the cap by=gravity fromits recess when the; wheel is at'rest,,a:.iixed straight chute adj acentthe first control cam and in position to receive the cap released therebm'a second control cam beyond the first cam "and adapted to engage andto raise the outer-endof the arm to remove the pinfrom the other openend of the cap to release the cap not released-lay the first cam, afixed upright twisted reversing chute adjacent the second cam forreceiving the cap and reversing the position of the cap released bythe'first cam, and fixed means interposed he tween the pins and thoserecesses of the wheel located between the reversing chuteand the firstmentioned cap chutes for maintaining the pins out of said last mentionedrecesses thereby to permit a cap to enter a recess before :said recesspasses the first mentioned chutes.

15. The cap delivering mechanism,=of ciaim 1, the means forreciprocating the agitating'rods comprising a plurality ofcircumferentiallyzspaced apart cam rollers carr-ied'by the wheel and aplate cam having a cam notch therein secured to the rods andreciprocating J therewith. and in the path of the rollers,- the cambeingreciprocated a number of timesduring each revolution :of the wheel.

. HARRY A. DREW- References Cited in'the file of'this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,053,534 reig Feb. '18, 1913 2,176,659Mundy Oct. 17, 15939 2,625,313 Resin'a Jan.- 1 3, 1953

